Would you pay $600 for a royal wedding invite?

Sara McGinnis is a slightly mossy Northwest gal living in an otherwise all-male household. She contributes to both the BabyCenter Blog and SheKnows Entertainment, and is a fan of Twitter and Facebook friends.
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A royal pain in the wallet

With the royal wedding just days away, chances of receiving an invite are about as slim as the likelihood that Lady Gaga and the pope will hook up. But given the chance, would you be willing to pay for an invite?

"While very few will be able to see William and Kate tie the knot in person, millions of Americans are planning to splurge on weddings this year," said a representative of American Express. "Our data shows that Americans attend an average of two weddings per year and are spending nearly $1,000 on attire, transportation and other expenses -- not including the gift."

cost breakdown

Where does all that money go? Here's the cost breakdown for guests and wedding participants:

Dressing up ($113 when participating in wedding; $64 when attending as guest)

Hotel ($106)

Transportation ($96)

Dining out ($70)

Pre-wedding party, i.e., bachelor/bachelorette ($56)

Jewelry ($47)

Arrangements for children/pets ($26)

Other expenses ($24)

Maybe that $600 royal wedding ticket isn't such a bad deal after all. Again, you could also stream the nuptials on YouTube for free. Just saying.

9 better ways to spend $600

Here's what we plan to do with the $600 we won't be spending on a royal wedding invitation: